Amazon Key Is An In-Home Delivery Service For Prime Members

Amazon on Wednesday announced an in-home delivery service for Prime subscribers called Amazon Key, providing consumers with a simple method of remotely and securely granting access to their homes to delivery and other services. Amazon Key will officially launch on November 8th and will be available in metropolitan areas of 37 U.S. cities, with the Seattle, Washington-based company planning to expand the program to more locations in a swift manner, according to its official announcement. Amazon Key comes with no extra fees and is available as part of the long and steadily growing list of benefits of being an Amazon Prime member.

All Prime-enabled shipping accommodations including same-day delivery are encompassed by Amazon Key which only needs to be set up once in order to allow consumers to receive items even when they aren't home, the company said, adding that the solution seeks to eliminate the need for leaving keys under doormats and other less than elegant ways of not having your packages left on the front porch when you aren't home. No additional passcodes or authentication methods are required for providing your delivery, cleaning, and other services with limited access to your house, with the process itself being designed to be as simple as possible, Amazon claims. The progress of any given delivery or ordered service can be seen on the Amazon mobile app in real time, with the service also supporting push notifications and working in conjunction with the newly announced Amazon Cloud Cam which allows you to watch your delivery live or subsequently review the footage depicting it.

The service itself verifies delivery drivers' identities every time they use Amazon's app to request access to a user's home and makes sure that they're at the right location when they are expected to be, with all communications involved in the process being entirely encrypted. Amazon Cloud Cam starts recording your doorway the moment Amazon grants access to your house to the delivery driver and no additional keys or access codes are involved in the process, with every in-home delivery coming with the firm's Happiness Guarantee. The In-Home Kit starts at $249.99 and includes the Amazon Cloud Cam and one Amazon Key-enabled smart lock which you can choose. Refer to the banner below to check whether the service is already available in your area. Support for non-delivery services like professional cleaners and dog walkers will come in the near future, presumably in early 2018, as suggested by Amazon.

Dominik started at AndroidHeadlines in 2016 and is the Head Editor of the site today. He’s approaching his first full decade in the media industry, with his background being primarily in technology, gaming, and entertainment. These days, his focus is more on the political side of the tech game, as well as data privacy issues, with him looking at both of those through the prism of Android. Contact him at [email protected]